Wine For Your Microbiome & China's Crumbling Wine Market
IN THE HEADLINES
‘Amazing’ harvest with ‘unbelievable’ yields starts in England, set to break records for the number of grapes brought in, due to warm and dry conditions (The Drinks Business).
Sommeliers will be eligible for a skilled worker visa to enter the UK, following a review by the Migration Advisory Committee (Harper’s).
A complicated vintage in the Loire, defined by variable weather conditions encompassing both rain and heatwaves, alongside mildew and acid rot in many spots (Decanter).
5,000-year-old intact wine jars discovered containing ‘well-preserved remains’ have been discovered in Egypt (The Drink’s Business).
MARKET
🇨🇳 Why has the wine market in China collapsed? Meininger’s reports.
Between 2005-2017, China’s share of global wine imports grew to 7-8%.
Since 2017, imports have dropped by 55%.
By 2022, China’s consumption of wines, both domestically produced and imported, had fallen back to 2006 levels.
The pandemic has contributed but the pattern set in years before. Wine sales dropped by 47% between 2019 and 2022.
For an explanation, many point to the austerity measures introduced by President Xi that frowned upon lavish official dinners and gift-giving.
The more likely explanation? What if Chinese consumers never “fell in love” with wine the way producers imagined? Experience in other countries suggests that, over time, wines share of total alcohol consumption should grow towards the 13% global average. In China’s case, this was happening until 2012. Today it “languishes” at just 1.5%. This timeline coincides with the rise in China’s per capita GDP, from $6,301 to last year’s $12,720.
SCIENCE
Unique strains of yeast may help to lower alcohol levels.
Alcohol levels have risen by about 1% across the world’s wine regions over the past 20 years, due, in large part, to a warming climate, reports Seven Fifty Daily.
This is prompting winemakers to look for alternative yeast strains beyond Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, to address the issue.
Researchers are experimenting with the use of low-alcohol yield yeasts i.e. non-Saccharomyces strains.
The non-Saccharomyces were previously overlooked as they were associated with spoilage and higher amounts of unpleasant aromas.
Yet, thanks to the growing trend for native yeast cultures, the industry’s perception of non-Saccharomyces yeast has shifted and we now have more research to back up the potential of these strains.
In July this year, Grupo Agrovin announced one of the most promising projects in the field to date, using a yeast strain belonging to the Lachancea thermotolerans family. The wine involved is currently ageing in barrels and will be used for blending before it hits the market.
If successful, this approach will be more cost effective and workable, compared to current practices such as earlier harvesting or new site selection.
ENVIRONMENT
🏆 IWSC 2023 Green Wine Initiative Trophy: shortlist announced - the award recognises wine businesses working hard to minimise their environmental impact.
The shortlisted brands for the IWSC 2023 Green Wine Initiative Trophy are:
Bolney Wine Estate, Sussex, England
Bonterra Organic Estates, California, USA
Fattoria La Vialla, Tuscany, Italy
Lanchester Wines, UK
Lawsons Dry Hills, Marlborough, New Zealand
Ridgeview Wine Estate, Kent, England
PODCAST 📻🎧
Wine & Your Microbiome (Wine Blast with Susie & Peter)
According to the seemingly omnipresent Tim Spector, the anthocynanins in red wine play a role in longevity. Cool!
Thanks for reading! 😊